Two Hearts

[Gazirra]

The possibility of their chest exploding once they realize the true meaning of Christmas?

[Jorel]

Not really bonuses or penalties, as much as can take a direct hit to the heart and not be dead, cause they have a back up generator keepin the power on.

[Steeler49er]

►Flesh Sculpting magic (See Nightspawn/bane Through the Glass Darkly)
►Super science (genetically altered & grown in the patent, surgical implantation, or Nanotech biological [internal] redesign).
►Mutation (super powers)
►Psychic surgery
►The super power "Flesh Works" (Powers Unlimited 3) + the Super Power "Permanence"-(Palladiums BlackVault)


Bonuses would vary but, improved ability to hold your breath may be One. Reduced fatiuge another. More likely you'd Suffer from the exact opposet as your body is now needing to feed Two hearts instead of just the one. You heart is one of the Biggest consumers of O2 you have. If it is sharring that need with a second heart, oyu're likely to become tired and short of breath. If your heart doesn't get enough O2, it's individual heart cells will begin to Over work in seconds and Burst in a minute or so... Heart failure happens soon afterwards.
Your brain (also a big consumer of air) would see a Dramatic loss in needed air as welland you'd loose conscienceness in time.

[Steeler49er]

If it is a "super power" then likely the Super wouldn't suffer at all from any of the above. They'd Likely have nothing but the bonuses of Heightened stamina (PE), the ability to hold their breath for 5 times longer, and would generally see a mild increase in strength.

It it were a Mutant characteristic, you'd be somewhere in between. You'd Need to be Very active and require much more food to maintain those two hearts (get Plenty of fresh air). The benifits would be half and the negatives would Only take place if you failed to get enough air to breath (a sedintary life is a Bad thing).

[Kovoston]

How would I give a human character two hearts? What would be the bonuses and penalties for having two hearts?

I know in the real world you'd be twice as likely to have a heart attack...

[Mercdog]

IIRC, in the Eugenics section of PU2 there is an option that allows you to gain a second heart. I think it gives some bonus Hit Points and S.D.C., as well as a bonus to save vs. Heart Disease.

[LeeNapier]

Alien characters can buy one (see AUGG - genetic modifications section). Bionic characters can buy a redundant heart, too, I believe.

[GreenGhost]

There are aliens (can't remember what they're called off hand here at work) from the Scraypers book that receive bonuses for having 2 hearts- if I remember right.

[Damian Magecraft]

There are aliens (can't remember what they're called off hand here at work) from the Scraypers book that receive bonuses for having 2 hearts- if I remember right.

That alien race you are trying to think of is the Tarlok. All it said in Scrayper about the Tarlok's two hearts was that extreme stress and exertion of combat is divided between the two hearts. It does list the penalties for them losing one heart though. Should I use those penalties as penalties for losing one of the character's two hearts?

yes.

[drewkitty ~..~]

first thoughts when reading the two hearts phrase
cough *time lord* cough

Otherwise the Tarlock example would be a good guideline.

[JuliusCreed]

I can see benefits to endurance, holding one's breath for longer periods, resistances to fatigue or disease, added boneses to HP or SDC and possibly even a slightly extended lifespan all coming from having an extra heart.
I can also see an added vulnerability in having them as being more suseptible to critical strikes. Despite having "redundant systems", the heart is still a vital organ. Damaging or losing one could have debilitating, if not lethal, consequences. And if you've got an extra one to hit, it just makes them both that much easier to hit.

[The Dark Elf]

What would be the bonuses and penalties for having two hearts?

You would have cudos in the Phil Collins fan club for him writing a song about you.

You would have the crappiest hand at poker.

Oh and on Valentines day you'd be an emotional wreck.

[Snowtiger]

In the good ol' days of Cyberpunk 2020, I remember an implant in one of the books, that actually took the heart out of the equation completely, a "decentralized heart". It was a set of vascular implants in the major arteries controlled by a pacemaker-style apparatus, that actually did away with having an actual heart, while still providing the same function as a heart.

That aside, having two hearts would be only practical if those hearts would take only a part of the full heart's duty(two smaller hearts, ike having two smaller pumps to do the workload of one), since having two normal-sized hearts would actually mean that the vascular system would need to be stronger too (pressure would be high due to having two large pumps instead of one). Another option would be a staggered heart action(the hearts would beat one after the other, instead of simultaneously) this would limit the blood pressure but ot would also mean that the hearts would need to be synched somehow so they wouldn't beat out of synch.

[Steeler49er]

The Tarlok have through millions of years of selective breeding to deal with two hearts so, they may Not be the best example. Then again there is little else to work with so you may as well use them.

BTW-20 points to Snowtiger for finding a way to mention CP 2020!
And 50 pints for The Dark Elf for findinga way to plug Phill C.

[BillionSix]

I know in the real world you'd be twice as likely to have a heart attack...

Yeah, but you'd have a backup to carry the load if it happened.

Seriously, I think saying "I have two hearts" is more like flavor text than anything else. You can take something like Extraordinary Physical Endurance and say "I have extra organs for redundancy, giving me the ability to take more punishment." I don't see an extra heart as a power in and of itself.